1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electrical power cords and outlets. It further relates to locks for holding plugs and/or power cords to their electrical outlets as means for making wall outlet receptacles safer and more shock resistant, especially for young children. Particularly, it relates to a safety lock for any standard, i.e. non-customized, outlet cover plate for engaging the cord to its wall outlet thereby making it difficult to accidentally remove. A related method is also disclosed and claimed.
A special problem exists for the power plugs of a desktop computer. Should that plug become dislodged, even partially, for any reason while the computer is in use, inputted data which has not been backed up will be lost and require reentry.
Yet another problem is the inconvenient removal of the plug to a household appliance such as a vacuum. This occurs all too frequently when cleaning about a room full of furniture. It is annoying to have to periodically replug in one's vacuum after its power cord has been pulled free from the wall socket.
For hospital machinery/equipment and for many industrial-type workshops, it is quite important that the power cords to many devices remain anchored to their respective wall sockets/outlets and eliminate the chance of any accidental unplugging.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Numerous methods/devices are known for trying to render safe a power outlet cord by making it more difficult to separate from the wall outlet and cause a shock hazard. Some show electrical plug “locks”; others describe specific directional means for covering a plug in its outlet. Representative references will now be briefly discussed in chronological order.
Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,069 shows a plug retaining device with its own intermediate base plate semi-permanently secured to the wall outlet faceplate. A generally U-shaped retaining member slidably engages with plate arms having channels for receiving spaced apart pins.
Santilli U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,709 is a simplified device which employs a bracket pivotally mounted to the wall cover plate. That bracket includes a retaining bar with a pair of parallel legs extending from both ends of that retaining bar, said legs being designed to engage a recess formed in a peripheral edge of the specially modified faceplate.
Peckham U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,612 describes an outlet protector having a transparent housing with tabs for mating with notches on at least one edge of its customized baseplate. By pinching these tabs inwardly, cords plugged into one or both power sockets are housed in this protector before passing/extending through one or more slots in the sidewall to its housing element.
Kasden U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,495 shows a special electrical socket faceplate with laterally spaced locking brackets extending outwardly from both sides of each outlet. Those bracket pairs engage with a base clamp member through which a power cord plug is detachably secured, that base clamp member having pivoting locking “arms”.
In Buckner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,677, a power cord plug is retained in a cubical or rectangular box with a slot terminating at an open side of the box. This box includes a pair of flanges held in place with double-side adhesive foam tape.
Cross et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,924 shows an electrical plug retainer system with a customized plate cover having opposed “lugs” on opposite sides, said lugs designed to receive the flanges to a clip retainer that holds the plug cord.
Blackman U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,142 claims to prevent power cord removal from a wall outlet with a wire surround that includes a bridge with a clamp about the cord proper. A pair of perpendicular members extend down from opposite sides of that bridge, each perpendicular member terminating in a suction cup for attaching to the wall, outside the expected spread area of a standard wall outlet cover plate.
Becerra U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,846 shows a retainer for securing an electrical plug to its socket by essentially banding the plug through the holes of a ladder-like wrap strapped about the plug and plate cover before reconnecting to itself.
In Johnston U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,539, a plug assembly retainer is shown that holds the power/plug wire closest to the plug head with a band or other retention member. That band secures to a support arm which, as shown, has a screw head for holding the wall plate to the threaded aperture between sockets of a typical outlet pair.
McDevitt, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,930 claims a childproof outlet adapter with a specialty cover arrangement in which toothed apertures flank each electrical receptacle opening, said apertures designed to releasably engage with a pair of spaced flexible leg segments extending downwardly from a base member that surrounds the electrical cord adjacent the plug head.
Battard U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,493 shows a retaining socket for electrical outlets in which a slotted plug clip holds the cord and plug head before pairs of clip ends engage with pairs of spaced clip receivers on either side of the outlet covered by a specially customized wall plate.
Campbell III et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,056,145 shows a plug securing device that covers the entire outlet with a slotted box through which a power cord is fed before connecting to its own specially designed wallplate/cover.
Finally, West et al U.S. Pat. No. 7,722,380 discloses a plug retention clip with a pair of arms that slidably connect to a body slotted to hold a plug wire. These arms then slidably engage with slots on either side of a specially designed outlet cover/casing.
While the aforementioned constructions may be adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been designed, they are deficient in failing to provide an uncomplicated, efficient and yet practical outlet lock that requires no specially modified outlet plate covers in order to securely hold a plug/power wire adjacent the outlet/socket for minimizing the likelihood of any accidental pull out from the same.